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Volunteer Spotlight: Carly Fleege

How long have you been volunteering with WTAP?I’ve been volunteering with WTAP since 2008.

Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working with WTAP?

I’ve met selfless, incredible, and dedicated volunteers; and I’ve met refugees who have endured the unimaginable. Those connections, however brief, are invaluable and immeasurable.

Why do you choose to donate your time to WTAP?

My heart has attached itself to WTAP’s mission of creating community connections and building bridges of neighborly understanding. I think we can all relate to the desire to belong, feel connected to others, and have a place to call home. As humans, we all have an instinctive desire to ensure our children and loved ones have access to life’s basic necessities and the freedom to pursue our greatest hopes and dreams. Some of us may take for granted the comparative safety, security, and freedom we enjoy in the United States, but those things have been violently ripped away from those who bear the refugee status. Refugees belong nowhere and to no one. But WTAP provides an opportunity to welcome the world’s homeless in a loving, profound way. We get to say, “You’re home, you’re loved, you belong, and now you can live a life of endless possibilities. Don’t lose hope, your journey may not be over but you’ve come so far. You’ve endured what we cannot begin to imagine but despite those obstacles, your strength, courage, and perseverance has gotten you here and will see you the rest of the way. Let us, your community and neighbors, help build a foundation for you to begin the next part of your journey.”

Describe an experience you had while volunteering that made you realize you were making a difference.

There isn’t a singular, defining experience that I’ve had with WTAP that made me realize I was making a difference. Perhaps that’s because WTAP, as a whole, makes the difference. As the old adage says, “it takes a village.”

What do you do when you aren’t volunteering?

If I’m not volunteering, I’m either working or spending time with my husband and two adorable rescue pups (adopt, don’t shop!).

What secret powers or talents do you have?

My secret power is probably neither a secret nor a power but a defining characteristic that fuels and drives me. Those characteristics are empathy and love.